Following the crowd may appear a place of safety but it is also a place where we can waste our lives...

Life is finally beginning to reemerge into a sort of new reality. We had a fabulous holiday in Florida with our friends John and Kathryn Fonville and family, enjoyed our connection and little bit of ministry too at Paramount church there in Jacksonville...God has really been so good to us....we moved into our new home here in Mid Ulster in September and just got internet installed today, hence the new blog to say hi! Kids are settling into school and while this is never easy we can feel God's grace on our lives... Here are a few of my random and not so random thoughts connected with our topsy turvy new life, change and new missional aspirations: * God goes ahead of His children, He truly is a Sovereign God with sovereign determination, and He is bringing His will and plan together in time and space, and - get this - we get to be a part of this, what a privilege! I deeply sense that God has gone ahead of us. God's church exists for the sake of God's mission and mandate, mission does not exist for the sake of church. Its amazing to think that we can join God in what He is doing rather than trying to manufacture stuff in our own strength - sanity! This is our current goal! * How deeply is the church of Jesus Christ allowing the Gospel to penetrate their hearts and lives? We think of the Gospel only for the unsaved, and while this is vital for saving Grace to be revealed by the power of God's Gospel and Spirit, I am also so aware that we as God's children desperately need to continue as Gospel fuelled believers. The believer who claims that he could never forgive someone who treated them shamefully, the couple living on a tight budget who would never consider being a giver as well as a receiver, the husband who refuses to love or serve in his home, the so called 'committed Christian' who would never consider relocating to a new area - even if God called them......! Such are the evidence of the need for a deeper revelation of Christ and His finished work, and the good works we were created in Christ to do! The Gospel reminds us that 'we are not our own' and were 'bought' and redeemed at a great price. How deeply has God's Gospel affected your heart today, mine? Are we just living for the next blessing to be fulfilled? Is God just our way out of problems or the love of our soul? God's gracious promise is that as we 'seek first the Kingdom of God....all these things will be added unto us' * Change is painful. Change is uncomfortable. Relocating to a new area can sound romantic but it is also tough. Much of the missional calling we have as Christians in our villages, towns and cities will involve having to deal with loneliness of some sort. No-one likes loneliness but being prepared to endure certain hardships is surely a prerequisite for us being more impactful with our lives. Following the crowd may appear a place of safety but it is also a place where we can waste our lives... If the cross and resurrection are the centre-pieces of the Gospel, then they must become the centre-pieces of our lives. That will mean change and as they say 'change is here to stay' We thank God today for His Grace and comfort as we transition still into our new chapter. JS. Sept 18th, Mid Ulster